BURLINGTON — Students in grades 7-12 can get their hands dirty learning about soils, geology and other earth science topics at a free VTeen 4-H Science Pathways Café on Saturday, Sept. 28, in Burlington.
The café, which includes free pizza and drinks, will take place from 5-7 p.m. in the Mansfield Dining Room at the Dudley Davis Center on the University of Vermont (UVM) campus.
Through discussions and interactive activities participants will look at New England’s history from a geological perspective and discover how soil properties such as color, texture and porosity affect soil fertility and water. They also will delve into how scientists work together to tackle important issues such as acid rain and climate change and use their findings for policy change.
The workshop will be taught by Jenny Bower, a graduate student in the UVM Plant and Soil Science Department. Bower is conducting research on weathering in forest soils at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in northern New Hampshire in collaboration with scientists from UVM, the U.S. Forest Service and Virginia Tech.
A free follow-up workshop, limited to 15 café participants, will be held on Oct. 8 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. in UVM’s Centennial Woods. The workshop will explore how earthworms are reshaping northern forests with hands-on experience with soil pits. Registration opens after this café.
The teen science café, one of several to be offered during this school year, is sponsored by UVM Extension 4-H and organized and run by a leadership team of teens. Upcoming cafés are Oct. 19 (biomedical science) and Nov. 9 (infectious diseases). To learn more, go to uvm.edu/extension/youth/announcements. Interested teens should register by Sept. 25 at sept2019cafe.eventbrite.com.
To request a disability-related accommodation to participate, contact Lauren Traister, UVM Extension 4-H Teen and Leadership Program coordinator, at 802-888-4972 or toll-free at 866-260-5603 by Sept. 16.